Preview

Holden Caulfield Good And Evil

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
396 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Holden Caulfield Good And Evil
“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don't trust enough.” - Frank Cane. Throughout the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield shows us that he is not a trusting man. He is constantly telling and showing the reader that trusting is some sort of weakness. He thinks that he’s protecting himself when in reality he’s isolating himself from everyone. Holden Cualfield’s has trust issues that leave him with undeniable loneliness. Holden first shows his trust issues when he wouldn’t tell Ackley what was wrong with him after his fight with Stradlater. Holden lies and tells him the fight was about protecting Ackley honor. He said, “Yeah. I was defending you goddamn honor. Stradlater said
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Holden's Flaw Quotes
    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Holden's Flaw Quotes

    The first reason for Holden’s flaw is his craziness. He acts this way because he is not normal like others. Something that he repeats constantly throughout the novel is, “He is the biggest phony.” This quote shows how Holden thinks and acts towards others. Holden acts this way because who falls in love too quickly with Jane and Sally. He also thinks this way because Jane and Sally equal perfection and he isn’t perfect like them or anybody else. Finally his thoughts are what can he do to be perfect like everyone else because he seems to be the only that is crazy. Therefore, Holden acts and thinks differently from everyone else because he is insane.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Holden Caulfield Character Traits
    • 51 Words
    • 1 Page

    Holden Caulfield Character Traits

    The author’s main purpose was to introduce the persona of the character Holden Caulfield from his perspective. He reveals his dominant trait by refusing to mention his early childhood that involves personal details about his parents. Instead, he focuses on his experience in Pencey Prep and discusses its impact on him.…

    • 51 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Holden Caulfield Sympathetic Character
    • 225 Words
    • 1 Page

    Holden Caulfield Sympathetic Character

    Holden Caulfield--a character from Catcher in the Rye--can only be described as a sympathetic character. Although Holden acts in a way sometimes that will make you feel unsympathetic towards him, we know he has mental problems causing him to end up in a hospital. Holden tends to lose his temper occasionally giving him the feel of an unsympathetic character; when you find out his condition it makes you feel otherwise.…

    • 225 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Holden Caulfield Reliable Narrator
    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Reliable Narrator

    In the novella The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, is a highly reliable narrator or the storyline. Holden communicates his emotions truly and leaves them embedded in the text uncensored throughout the text. For example, upon meeting two nuns in a restaurant in New York City, he genuinely states that he “enjoyed talking to them a lot… [he] meant it, too” (Salinger 112). This quote represents how Holden strongly reveals any true emotions he feels to the reader. Holden also does not cease to inform readers of certain events in the plot even if it affects the reader’s comfort depending on what is being discussed. For instance, when he recalls an interaction with Jane Gallagher after an encounter with her step-father, Holden persisted to include the various places he began to kiss Jane and even stated “it was the closest [they] ever got to necking” (Salinger 79). This blatant honesty and inclusion of details makes him a trustworthy and reliable narrator.…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Holden Caulfield Contradictions
    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Holden Caulfield Contradictions

    Holden’s first contradiction becomes clear in the first few chapters of the book. When it comes to attending movies, he claims that he does not enjoy the company of Robert Ackley or going to see movies. Yet, he attends a show with Ackley. On Friday night, while Stradlater was on a date with Jane, Holden made his own plans. Holden,…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Character Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger
    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Character Analysis Of Catcher In The Rye By J. D. Salinger

    In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger portrays the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, from two very different sides. On one hand, Holden is passionate about the protection of innocence, and he attempts to shelter all kids, especially his younger sister Phoebe, from any knowledge which might compromise their innocence. On the other hand, Holden is repeatedly revealed to be experienced and knowledgeable in society. He constantly swears, drinks, and smokes, sharply criticizes everyone he sees, and generally does not conform to society. Because Holden lost his own innocence so early in his life, he becomes fascinated with the idea of guarding it in others. Salinger shows Holden protecting the innocence of people many times throughout the novel. Some examples include Holden’s anxiety about Jane, Holden’s protection of Phoebe, and Holden’s general frustration…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield - Catcher In The Rye
    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Holden Caulfield - Catcher In The Rye

    Holden Caulfield is a typical anti-hero from the 20th century who features as the main character from the novel, Catcher In The Rye by J.D Salinger. The young teenage boy says that he wants to be the one who stands at the bottom of the cliff and catch the children that are playing in the Rye that may run off the edge accidently. This is a dream, not reality however it indicates that Holden is desperate to preserve childhood. Holden is an anti-hero because he lacks heroic qualities. In the novel, he often refers to himself as a yellow character. He wants to hit someone but he won’t because he is too much of a coward and he knows this. Holden talks negatively about most people, often referring to them as “phonies.” Phonies are people whose surface behavior distort or disguise their inner feelings. Holden can be a phony himself and believes if he puts society down, then he can’t be disappointed. He does however, cherish family, more so his siblings rather than his parents. He is very lonely and tends to push people away. Holden has been suspended from four schools. He underachieves, has a habit of being able to lie easily and has a fragile, mental state that ends up leading to a breakdown where he ends up in an asylum.…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield Character Development
    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Character Development

    Many adolescents often suffer from a lack of direction. Not knowing what they are doing or where they are headed, faced with the many obstacles of both life and adult society as they struggle to find direction in the world. Many long for acceptance and love that they do not receive. This description perfectly suits the situation befalling Holden Caulfield, the controversial protagonist and main character of J. D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. In the novel, after being expelled from his fourth school, Pencey Prep, Holden goes on a journey of self discovery through New York. He becomes increasingly unstable in a world in which he feels he does not belong, with the company of people he deems "phonies". Holden, not unlike a typical teenager, is also on his own quest in order to find himself, yet he re­sorts to ignoring his problems as a way of dealing with them. Holden tells his story from the confines of a psychiatric hospital, having been there to recover from a neurotic breakdown caused by his outlandish and often over the top actions. Holden Caulfield’s unachievable dreams, delusional fantasies, and erratic behaviour all lead to the breakdown of his character throughout the course of the novel Catcher in the Rye.…

    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Essay On Holden Caulfield Absent Character
    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Essay On Holden Caulfield Absent Character

    Often times, who one surrounds themselves with, even for a short period of time affect a person’s life for years to come. In Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger captures the story of Holden Caulfield, who throughout his travels to New York, is compelled by his thoughts of characters who are never introduced to readers. The absent characters are as impressed upon him as much as he is affected by those who are among him in the city. The situations in which the characters are introduced are often when Holden is faced with uncomfortable or adult situations. He reminds himself of those who once surrounded him, while recollecting the memories, Holden is affected by the innocence of the situation. This allows for the theme of innocence and his somewhat childish actions across the events of the novel.…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield In The Catcher In The Rye
    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Holden Caulfield In The Catcher In The Rye

    Holden Caulfield, the novel’s protagonist, is a pivotal character in The Catcher in the Rye. Holden is characterized as an innocent, apathetic, naive teen who is seeking knowledge of life and the meaning of becoming an adult. Holden’s struggle with seeing the genuine nature of people is something that acts as a barrier for him throughout the novel. Holden is troubled and burdened throughout the story, which causes him to have a warped view on an array of subjects. Holden passes strict judgement on everyone, as he struggles to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Holden appears to be stunned when he sees how different the life of an adult is comparison to that of children. His views on topics such as, life, his future, and sex. Holden approaches each of these subjects with strict views, and feels dejected when he realizes there are more multiple perspectives to these topics.…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield Phony Analysis
    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Holden Caulfield Phony Analysis

    Stradlater is perceived as a phony because of the way he acts in front of certain people, Holden constantly attempts to act and seem older and more mature than he truly is and he constantly puts on that act to be taken seriously. Holden wants to believe he is an adult and loves to act as if he is superior to everyone else, when in reality, he is just a teenage boy. When given advice about something, he does not even take it into consideration because like a lot of teenagers, Holden believes he knows what is best. While trying to be an adult, Holden believes he is mature enough to do anything, including hiring a prostitute for his room even though he says no in the end and realizes he is not ready for…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Mental Isolation In Catcher In The Rye
    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Examples Of Mental Isolation In Catcher In The Rye

    Despite being surrounded by others, many people tend to feel alone in society. This feeling of mental isolation is shown throughout J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye. A sixteen-year-old boy, Holden Caulfield, wanders around New York City after being expelled from his most recent school and encounters numerous people, particularly women, before going back to his family. Though Holden tries to surround himself with others, he never seems to be able to connect to them.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Holden Caulfield
    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Holden Caulfield

    After being with Mr. Antolini, Holden had an anxiety attack. He said, “When something perverty like that happens, I start sweating like a bastard. That kind of stuff’s happened to me about twenty times since I was a kid.”(PDF 95). He vaguely explained why he was sweating and freaking out. It was because at at least twenty points in his life he was sexually abused. The reaction that Holden has, for example the sweating, is a normal side effect to having gone through what he has. For children who have been sexually abused, one of the biggest things that they lose is trust. Especially with family members, the main reason trust can be lost with family is because the victim can blame them for not protecting them or because their abuser was family. By losing trust with the people in the world, one can turn to substance abuse. For Holden he did this, he drank many times till he was completely gone. Also, depression and suicide behavior is common. Both of which Holden encountered. Some could argue that Holden has every right to act the way he does and that it is normal and right to run to substances to cope with what happened. But, no matter what kind of traumatic abuse one goes through in their lives, it is not one’s fault. It is necessary to understand that the person/persons that abused you need to be held accountable for what happened, not oneself. It is never too late in life to begin the healing…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Catcher In The Rye Love
    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Catcher In The Rye Love

    “Nothing can bring a sense of security into the home except true love.” (Billy Graham). In the book The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden, the main character, is looking for something. He is very depressed and always feels insecure about almost everything he does in the novel. Throughout the novel, Holden is looking for companionship, friendship and acceptance from others.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Holden Caulfield
    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Holden Caulfield

    In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield views the world as an evil and corrupt place where there is no peace. "His anger turned to relentlessly unforgiving social scorn." (Coles)This perception of the world does not change significannot…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics